Understanding exam anxiety

You probably already know the symptoms of exam anxiety quite well: nervous energy, sweaty hands and a rapid heart rate when you stand in front of the examiner’s door, or the stubborn thoughts of something going wrong during the exam that come up long before the exam itself and leave you with a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. These feelings can develop into unpleasant somatic problems. Some people even experience insomnia and a depressed mood. The symptoms of exam anxiety vary widely. What form exam-related stress takes and how much you react depends on your physical sensitivities and psychological response patterns. How do such serious symptoms arise in the first place?

Having exam anxiety doesn’t mean you are an anxious person in general. This form of anxiety relates to highly specific situations. The main factor is that you have a test or exam coming up. You are being asked to perform and will be judged, possibly negatively. There are specific negative consequences that could follow. But even more seriously, how you do on the exam will affect your sense of self-worth if it differs from the standards you set for yourself. A mediocre grade is enough to trigger a sense of failure in some students. With so much at stake, exam anxiety is certainly understandable. On the other hand, this kind of anxiety also has a positive side. It acts as a signal, drawing your attention to the “risks.” And it puts you physiologically in “fight mode,” mobilizing your energies and getting you fully ready for the challenge.

Very few students do not experience exam anxiety. About 40% feel it is a “major burden.” In extreme cases, people can experience panic attacks and feel that they are powerless. Actors experience something similar when they have stage fright, which grates on their nerves before they have to appear on stage. Most of them wouldn’t want it to go away, though. Performance anxiety is a normal part of appearing in public and any kind of test or exam. Moderate anxiety has a positive effect on people’s motivation and performance.

The psychological and physiological agitation due to exam anxiety is different from one person to another. There does seem to be a connection to the mental side. Cognitive assessments are a big part of what makes the upcoming exam seem so threatening. Exam candidates tend to overestimate the risk. People don't know what to expect, so they generally overestimate the requirements and view the examiner as a bigger threat than necessary. They also underestimate their own capabilities. When a person’s thoughts keep returning to negative aspects, a cycle of worry sets in, increasing the feeling of anxiety. You can cope better with exam anxiety by focusing on the other side – what you can do – and bolstering those aspects. In some cases, old conflicts and feelings rooted in your experiences with parental authority also transfer to examiners and test situations. This generally leads to irrational exaggeration and dramatization of what the person believes is going to happen.

The following individual factors contribute to greater exam anxiety:

  • Tendency to hold oneself to very high or excessively high standards of performance
  • Tendency toward negative self-criticism
  • Performance motivation focusing on fear of failure as opposed to hopes of success
  • High levels of self-attention, meaning heightened focus on one’s own perceptions and reactions
  • These characteristics are relatively stable, but people can learn to influence them and put existing mechanisms of judgment aside.

Blackout

The fear of blackout during a test, of simply blanking out on everything you had in your head before the test itself, is a very common one. Blackout is usually associated with great agitation accompanied by feelings of powerlessness or helplessness. The fear is focused on the terrible result of “it all being over.” In physiological terms, there is indeed a functional memory problem. Access to the specific compartments you need in your memory is blocked. But you can overcome the block by following the steps outlined below.

  • Take a moment to breathe and calm down. Do a few breathing exercises.
  • Tell the examiner what is happening and ask for a short break.
  • Start over. Try to pick up the thread where you left off. If you can’t do it, ask the examiner to repeat the last question or ask a different question if the last one threw you off.

The key aspect here is to stand up to your fear and take action to counter it.

If you accept blackout as something that just happens at times and doesn’t necessarily need to end in disaster, you will end up more likely to get it under control. Think about the steps suggested above early on as your prepare for the exam. Practice relaxation techniques and meditation exercises and go through the single steps in your mind when you feel your anxiety is slowly creeping up on you.

Tips for your exam preparation

  • The realistic work planning method is a way to gain a big-picture view of your entire exam project, encompassing the goals of your work and other important goals alike. Make a list of the work steps and activities needed for each and then estimate the time it will take to complete them.
  • Plan your preparation program so that you can achieve it realistically. As time is short, this requires a critical review of your own standards. You also need to set priorities and have the courage to deal with gaps.
  • Alongside your general plan, which lays out the fundamentals, you should also draw up a weekly schedule for each week. These schedules can help you use your time effectively for both your work and the downtime you need.
  • Set specific goals for your work and make sure to include enough variety in your day-to-day work. Reward yourself for reaching your goals and actively keep up your motivation.
  • An exam is a time to show your mastery of the subject, so you should make sure to understand it thoroughly beforehand. To do this, you need active study methods.
  • Active learning means that you do not merely absorb the material passively, but actively engage with it in your mind. You can use questions to explore your knowledge. Investigate how things fit together and form clear structures in your mind.
  • A structuring approach is especially helpful when working on dense theoretical texts. This principle also helps ensure that you retain what you have learned.
  • Active reading, also known as the SQ3R method, is a useful way of reading specialized literature.

Where can I dfind help?

The Workshops and Counseling section presents points of contact where you can turn whenever you want personal advice and support, along with our workshop program, which can help you tackle specific issues.

Overcoming exam anxiety
  • Think about your views on exam anxiety. Remember that it is normal and appropriate to feel exam anxiety. Consider what aspects make you feel especially anxious and try to find constructive ways to deal with them.
  • Take stock realistically. Be sure you have a clear view of the exam requirements and the study load needed to meet them. See where you stand. Identify weak spots and gaps, but also your strengths as well. Use this as a basis for mapping out your own individual work and training program.
  • Build your own motivation for your studies. Use the performance-enhancing side of exam anxiety to energize yourself and prepare for the situation where you will have to perform. A fighting spirit is helpful.
  • If your exam anxiety reaches too high a pitch and you are constantly unsettled and tense, you should learn a relaxation method such as autogenic training. This helps affect how fearful you are and restore your calm and composure. Autogenic training can also aid in concentration.
  • If your shortcomings and deficiencies tend to be at the forefront of your thoughts, your exam anxiety will be worse. You should deliberately focus on the positive sides that will help you succeed and be sure to take note of the interim goals you have reached and the progress you have already made. This will help you strengthen your confidence and trust in yourself.
  • To make sure your focus on success has a solid backing, you should definitely make sure to prepare efficiently for the exam.
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